Cooling air flow control for vehicle-engines



Aug. 29, 1933. PETERSEN 1.9Z4,654

' COOLING AIR FLOW CONTROL FOR VEHICLE ENGINES Filed March 19. 1930 2, Sheets-Sheet .1

jw/zlw z/ w/ g g- 29, 1933- E. G. PETERSEN COOLING AIR FLOW CONTROL FOR VEHICLE ENGINES Filed March 19, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 wa /722% oioyar irsa/r %M ,3 wd M fPatented Augza css 'forming part ,of the COOLING FLOW" CONTROL Fort VEHICLE-ENGINES Edgar G. Petersen, Chicago, 111., assignor to Pines Winter-front Company; Chicago,.lll., 'a corporation .of Delaware Application March 19, 1936. Serial 1570.436342- Claims, 01. 1s9-s1) My invention relates topan apparatusfor con? t'rolling'the flow of cooling air to an engine, as, for instance by regulating the flow ofair through 3 thecoreofthe radiator of a liquid cooled engine power 7 plant of an automotive vehicle. l

According to the present invention, the fidwof cooling air is not controlled by --a plurality of individually'pivoted shutters, as is the common practice, but to ,the contrary, the flowof airtis determined by the relative positions of a pair of plates'having louvers formed therein. These louvers, in one relation of the plates, prevent/the.

- flow of cooling air to the engine, in another rela- -tion ofthe plates permit relatively unrestricted flow of cooling air to the engine, and act tovary the flow of air as and when therelation of the plates isbeingchanged, the change in the relative positions of the plates being preferably, but

not necessarily, accomplished thermostatically.

In theaccompanying drawings depicting an illustrative embodiment of my invention,

' Fig. 1 is a front view of an automobile radiator equippedwith"theimprovements of the present, 2 I

invention}, I r r Fig, 2 is a broken sectional view which may be regarded as taken on the line 2--2 of Fig, 1 and looking in the direction indicated bythe arrows;

Fig 3 a broken horizontal sectional view the direction indicated by the arrows; .4"is a horizontal sectional view taken taken on the line 33 of Fig; 1 and lookingin indicated by the arrows, this view illustrating the relative positions of the louver carrying plates when co-operating to prevent flow of air throughthe radiator core; and H '7 q 7 Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 4 but illus' trating the louver carrying plates in their open relation. 7 t

Sirnilar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the severalviews.

4; Referring first to Fig. 2, reference character 10 illustrates the core of what may be. regarded ;as a conventional radiator having upper and lower water boxes or headers indicated respectively at ll-and 12 .I-he radiatorisprovided with the to cover the. sides and all front parts of .the

radiatoreirceptsthejcore. ee

It will be understood, of course,

that the radia tor'is of. the customary typeconstituting the, front wallofa hooded compartmentin which is locattoward the medial vertical plane or on, the line 4--4 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction tends through a" slotj24 ofone: of

virtue ofjthe engagement'of theLseveral-pins 28 h t diator and theconti'nuous marginal flange of the radiator shellis a plate 14 providedwith apiu- 4 rality of louvers15, pressed from the metal of the i "plate, all offthese louversbeinginclined rear-v wardly toward the medial vertical plane of the radiator. It will benoted that the lateral margins ,of the, plate 14 are. turned rearwardly to provide flanges 16, 16,which in turn are rebent the radiator to provide flanges 17, 17. i i it v V .Depressed against the inner surfaces of the flanges 16, 16 and. being embraced betweenthe plate ,14 and its rebcnt flange portions 17; 17, are bars 18,- 18, these bars being capable of vertical reciprocation accomplished by cranks 19, 19, formed upon a shaft 203' The shaft20 is mounted in suitable bearings 21, 21 supported by the upper portion of the plate 14 as shown.

I The cranks 19 of the shaft 120enga ge cars 22 which, are formed upon the upper ends of the bars 18 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

- It will benoted that. each of the bars 18 is pro-.

. vided with a pair of inclined slots 23, 23, and that 1 each of the flanges 16 of theplate 14 is with a pair of horizontal slots 24, 24.

.Disposed between the plate 14 'andthe front face of the radiator core isa-second metal plate provided 25' provided with a; plurality of louvers 26; said louvers extending] forwardly from the plate 25 and all being -inclinedat' right angles to the louvers 15 of the plate14, the louvers of the two 1 plates being so disposed with respect to each other that theywill assume. the relative positions shown in Fig. 4 whenv the plate 25 is moved 1 forwardly: from the position shown in Fig. 5.,

;P1ate,25 isprovided with forwardly turned lateral flanges, 27 havingsliding contact with the inner faces of the cam-slottedbars 16, 16, each "of said flanges 27:,carrying'a pairofpins 28, 2811 Each of the; pins 28 extends through one Ofxthfl cam s1ots23 of the adjacentbar 18 and also ex-' I the lateral n es 16 of the front plate 14; f y virtue of engagement of the pins: 28; 0

with the horizontal slots 24.,the rear' plate riskv rendered capable of horizontal movement, :but is restrained against vertical movement; Andby with the cam slots 23, the rear plate 25o'ccupies no in slotted 8 s with the waterin the upper part 11 of the rathe position shown in Fig. 4 when the bars 18 are depressed to the position shown in Fig. 2, said rear plate 25 being moved rearwardly toward the position shown in Fig. when the bars 18 are elevated by partial rotation of the shaft 20.

When the plates 14 and 25 occupy the relative positions shown'in Fig. 5, substantially unre- Y stricted flow of air through the radiator core is permitted. As the plate is moved forwardly,

the flow of air through the radiator core is vaposition shown in Fig. 4, at which time the flow of air through the radiator core is prevented. It will be understood that the partial rotations ofthe shaft 20, which are necessary to move the rear plate 25 from the positionshown in Fig. v5 to the position shown in Fig. 4,-and vice versa, may be accomplished by any well known manually operable means accessible at the dash or other position available to the driver of the vehicle with which the present improvements are associated. However, I prefer to operate the mechanism thermostaticallyr To this end I provide the shaft 20 with an operating crank 29 which in turn is pivotally connected with the front end of a rod 30 having its rear end mechanically connected with the front wall of a thermostat 31' of the vWell known metal bellows'type, the said thermostat bellows 31 being adjustably mounted'in a chamher 32, theouter surfaces of whichare in contact diator. The rear wall of the thermostat bellows may, carry a threaded stem 33 which projects through and has threaded engagement with a plate34 which closes the open end of the -cham-' ber 32, anut 35co-operating with the threaded stem 33 to retain the rear wall of the bellows at any position tow'nich it may be adjusted A tube 36 extending from the chamber 32 to the forward part of the radiator accommodates the" rod 30 which connects the front wall of the bellows with the crank- 29. g It will be understood,

ofcourse, that the bellows 31 contains a suitable thermal fluid so" that the bellows 3r will expand inresponse to increased temperature of the wa-' ter flowing through the. radiator, to move the plate 25 away from the plate 14- and permit the flow of air through the radiator core, the bellows collapsing when the temperature of I the water flowing through the radiator diminishes, to move the plate 14 towardthe closed'position shown 'inFig. 4. I v I Having, thus illustrated and described one embodiment of my invention, wha't 'I claim as new and desire to secure-by Letters Patent of the United States is q 1. In a radiator shutter the combination of a support with a pair of louver plates, e'achof said louver plates being formed with a plurality of parallel openings between diagonally extending flanges struck out of the body of said plates, and the 'endsvof said flanges being joined to the plates 'from their edges by an integral part of the flanges and plates, the flanges of one louver plate ex tending diagonally in one direction, and the flanges of the other louver plate extending diagonally in a-transverse direction, and means for regulatinglthe flow of air between said flanges, comprisingoperative mechanical con' nection between said "louver plates to move the edges of the flanges of one plate relative to the edges of the flanges of the other plate, said shutterbei'ng closed by bringing the edges of the flanges into engagement'with each other.

... 2. In a radiator shutter the combination of a riably restricted until the plate 25 reaches the radiator, and the othe'rof said louver plates being supported for movementin a direction atright support with a pair of louver plates, each of said louver plates being formed with a plurality of parallel openings between diagonally extending flanges struck out of the body of said plates, and the ends of said flanges being joined to the plates from their edges by an integralpart of the flanges and :plates, the flanges of one louver plate extending diagonally in one direction, and the flanges of the other louver plate extending diagonally in a transverse direction, and means for regulating the flow of air between said flanges,

comprising operative mechanical connection between said louver plates to move the edges of the flanges of one platerelative to the edges of the flanges of the other plate, said shutter being closedby-bringing the edges of the flanges into engagement with each other, said louvers being 1 arranged with the flanges extending in a vertical direction from a point adjacent the lower bound-' ary of a radiator opening to a point adjacent the upper boundary. I v

I 3Q Ina radiatorshutter the combination ofa support with a pairof louver plates, each of said louver plates being'formed with a plurality of parallel openings between diagonally extending flanges struck out'of the body of said plates, and

the ends of said flanges being joined to the plates from .their edges by'an integral part of the flanges and plates, the flanges of one louver plate extending diagonally in one direction,'and the flanges of the other louver plate extending diagonally in a transverse direction, and means for regulating the flow of air between said flanges, comprising operative mechanical connection between said louver plates to movetheedges ofthe flanges of- Q of the radiator, the flanges of the other louver plate being also arranged in two series and ex-I tending in'a direction transverse to the adjacent flanges of the first-mentioned louver plate.

45111 a r ator shutter the combination of a support with a pair of louver plates, each of said louver plates beingformed with a plurality of parallel openings between diagonally extending flanges struck out'ofythebody of saidplates, and. the ends of said'flanges being joined to the plates from their edges, by an integral part of the flanges and plates, the flanges of one louver plate extending diagonally in one direction, and the flanges of the other louver plate extending diagonally in a transverse direction, and means for,

regulating the 'flow 'of, air between said flanges, comprising operative mechanical connection between-said louver plates to move the edges of the flanges of "one'plate relative to the edges of the flanges of the other plate, said shutter being closed by bringing the edges of the flanges into engagement with each other, one of said louver plates being fixedly supported'withrespect to'the angles to the plane of saidlouver plates to control the eifective'opening between said louver Dlates;;

5. In a radiator shutterthe combination of -a 7 1,924,654 support with a pairlot louver plates, each of said louver plates to move theedges of the flanges. of

one plate relative to the edges of the'fianges Jot the other plate, said shutter being closed by bring 7 ing the edges .of the flanges into engagementwith each other; the width of said'flanges beingsub stantially equal to the width ofthe slots between I said flanges, whereby am'aximum opening provided when said louver plates are spaced and said flanges are adapted to close the opening between flanges of the opposite plate whensaid platesare in engagement. with each other. a

EDGAR q. PETERSEN. 

